Air supply device



April 11, 1939. F. J. KURTH ET AL AIR SUPPLY DEVICE Filed 001;. 27, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l 5 R O N E V m FRANZ .7;

. ATTORNEY April 11',1939. F. J. KURTH ET AL 2,153,576

AIR SUPPLY DEVICE Filed 001;. 27. 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORN EY ,P tent ed Apr. 11,1939 Q 2,153,576

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AIR- SUPPLY DEVICE Franz J. Kurth' and Friedrich Honerkamp, New

York, N. Y., aaslgnors to Anemostat Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware Application October 27, 1936, Serial No. 107,762

' Claims. (01. 98-39) Our invention relates to the art of air conwhich are separably connected together at their ditioning rooms or other enclosures, and has paradjacent ends as, ior example, by means of screw ticular reference to improvements in devices of threads designated as 3. the type which are designed to be mounted in The sections-l and 2 preferably are of circular 5 an opening in a wall of, a room or other encross section and either or both of the same closure as, for example, an opening in a window may be of either cylindrical or tapered form. pane, for supplying outside air to the room 01'. Preferably, however, the inner section is of slightenclosure. ly outwardly flaring form and the outer section Generally speaking, the object of the invenis of somewhat greater outwardly flaring form tion is to provide a device of the character reto provide for free flow of air into the casing and w ferred to which is of comparatively simple condrainage therefrom of any water which may find struction and of relatively low production and its way therein.

' installation cost; which may easily be assembled, On the section I adjacent to its outer end is disassembled, installed and removed; which coman outwardly directed annular flange 4, and on bines small size with large air supply capacity; the section 2 at its inner end is an outwardly 15 which includes means for practically draftlessly directed annular flange 5.

delivering large volumes of air into a room or At 6 is designated a window pane or other wall other enclosure; which may readily and easily element having therein an opening I in which be adjusted to entirely out off the air supply and is disposed the outer end portion of the section I,-

to regulate the volume of air delivered between the flanges 4' and 5 being disposed at the inner so a minimum and a maximum without varying the and the outer sides of said pane or wall element, speed of the fan and motor comprising part of respectively, as shown, and gaskets 8 and 9 of the device; and which is thoroughly reliable and rubber or other suitable material being interposed highly eflicient in operation. between said flangesand said pane or wall ele- Further, and to the end of providing for obment, whereby, when the section 2 is screwed 25 taining exceptionally large air supply capacity inwardly upon the section I, the portion of the in a device of comparatively small size, the inwindow pane or wall element 6 surrounding the vention has in view to provide a fan of novel, .opening I is clamped between the flanges 4 and highly efficient construction. 5 and the casing A thereby is securely mounted. I With the foregoing and other objects in view, on the pane or wall' element and the opening 1 30 which will become more fully apparent as the nais effectively sealed, so that air can flow into the ture of the invention is better understood, the room or other enclosure with which the deviceis same consists in the novel features of construcassociated only through said casing A.

tion, combination and arrangement of parts as Within the casing section l are spiders or will be hereinafter more fully described, illusother suitable supports designated as l0, and 35 trated in the accompanying drawings and defined mounted on said supports and disposed axially in the appended claims. of the casing is a small electric motor designated In the accompanying drawings: as II. This motor is ofthe type comprising a Figure 1 is a central, longitudinal section stationary shaft (armaturei andarotatable shell 40 through an air supply and distributing device or housing (ma fi d a d, n da e 40 constructedin accordance with one practical'emwith the invention, said shell or housing has bodiment of the invention. mounted thereon fan blades l2, whereby, when Figure 2 is atransverse section on the line 2-2 the motor is in operation, there is produced an of Fig. 1. inward flow of air through the casing. I

4.5 Figures 3 and 4 are views similar to Fig. 1 illus- Mounted in su ble ma ne at t e nner trating alternative embodiments of the invenend of the casing A is an air distributing v tion; and I designated generally as l3, which may be of any Figure 5 is a. side elevation, illustrating an 'suitable'type but which preferably is of thetype alternative fan construction. comprising a series of successively larger,ltrun- Referring to the drawings in detail, first with cated, outwardly flaring hollow members disposed 50 particular reference to'Figs. 1 and 2, ,it will be in spaced apart relationship to provide a series observed that the present device comprises a of outwardly flaring air passageways therebehollow casing, designated generally as A, and that tween, whereby air flowing therethrough is dissaid casing is composed of separate, inner and tributedsubstantially draftlessly. For mounting outer sections, designated as I and 2, respectively, this air distributing device on the casing A the larger or outermost flaring member of said device may be provided with a sleeve or tubular portion II which may be telescoped over the inner end of the section I of said casing.

Mounted in any suitable manner at any suitable point within the casing A and extending thereacross is an air filter of any suitable type designated generally as I5, whereby air flowing through the casing is cleaned before being distributed through the device i3. As illustrated in the present instance, said filter is mounted between the inner end of the casing section I and an internal shoulder IE on the portion ll of the device l3.

For regulating the amount of air which may pass through the casing A when the motor and fan are operating at any given speed, there is provided a hood element ll of preferably concavo-convex form for cooperation with the outer end of the outer casing section 2. This hood element, which has its concave side facing inwardly or towardthe casing A, is of somewhat greater diameter than the outer end of the casing section 2 and is mounted on a rod l8 which extends centrally therefrom inwardly through the hollow shaft of the motor I and the filter i5 and through the air distribut l3 to the inner side of the latter where it is provided with a knob or handle IQ for use in sliding the same inwardly and outwardly. In this connection and. as is apparent, by shifting said rod inwardly or outwardly the area of the space between the hood element l1 and the outer end of the casing section 2 through whichair may enter the casing A may be varied, thus to regulate the volume of air flowing through the casing for any given motor and fan speed. Moreover, and as will also be apparent, the hood I! may be adjusted inwardly until it contacts with the outer edge of the casing section 2 and thereby completely prevents any flow of outside air into the room or other enclosure through the casing A. Furthermore, and as is additionally apparent, the hood member l1, because of its concavo-convex form, whereby it overlies the outer end portion of the casing section 2, serves effectively to prevent the entrance of rain into the casing A.

Preferably, suitable friction means is provided to hold the hood I! in different adjusted positions, said means comprising in the present instance a series of annular grooves 20 formed in 22 and whereby, depending upon the manual longitudinal the rod l8 at points spaced longitudinally therealong, and a ball 2| mounted in a suitable support urged by a spring 23 against said rod,

"displacement of said rod, said ball snaps into one or another of said grooves and thereby holds said rod against accidental longitudinal displacement.

Referring now particularly to Fig. 3 of the drawings, it will be observed that the general constructionc and combination of elements shown therein is'the same as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. However, as distinguished from the Figs. 1 and 2 embodiment of the invention, the" Fig. 3 embodiment employs a motor of the usual type comprising a stationary outer shell or 4 housing (magnetic field) containing a rotatable shaft (armature), on which, preferably at the inner end of the motor, is mounted a cylindrical element 24 which preferably is of no greater diameter than the motor housing and which carries the-fan blades designated at I2 In other words, Fig. 3 illustrates, as distinguished from the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2, that-a motor of the rotatable shaft, stationary housing type may readily be used in lieu of a motor of the stationary shaft, rotatable housing type. Fig. 3 also illustrates that the outer end portion of the motor housing may be of rounded or streamline shape to guide the inflowing air around the motor.

Referring now particularly to Fig. 4 of the drawings, it will be observed that again the general construction and combination of elements shown there is the same asillustrated in Figs. 1

to 3 of the drawings, but that, as distinguished from the Figs. 1 to 3 constructions, the inner casing section is comprised by the-tubular portion N of the air distributing device designated generally as i3, and that the filter element I! is disposed at the outer end of the casing instead employed is of the highly efficient type shown whereby the present device, considered in its entirety, may be of relatively small size for any given installation. As shown in Figs. 1 to 4 the present fan comprises a cylindrical hub, comprised in the case of the Figs. 1 and 2 embodiment of the invention by a motor shell and in the case of the Figs. 3 and 4 embodiments of the invention by a member entirely separate from the motor and formed to be mounted either on a motor shaft or any other driven shaft. In any event, the blades of said fan preferably are formed in pairs, designated as 25, 25 from suitable material in the form of elongated strips by bending said strips intermediately upon themselves along lines at right angles thereto into approximately V-shape. Alternatively, said pairs of blades may be molded from suitable material or they may be formed in any other desired manner. In any event, they are fastened in any suitable manner at their free ends to the hub with their free ends spaced both circumferentially around and longitudinally along the hub, which, of course, results in their planes being disposed diagonally with respect to a radial plane including the axis of the hub and passing through the blades. In addition, the diagonal disposition of the blades and the relative disposition of successive blades preferably is such, or approximately such that the inner or free ends of the blades 25 at one end of the hub are alined with the inner or free ends of the next succeeding blades 25 at the otherend of the hub. Because of this dual fan blade arrangement in which the blades at the receiving end of the fan slope outwardly toward the blades at the delivery end of the fan and the latter blades slope outwardly toward the blades at the receiving end of the fan, and in which the spaces between the respective pairs of blades are closed at their outer ends, rotation of the fan results in air first being acted upon by the blades at the receiving end of the fan and having an initial impulse imparted thereto, and then beingacted upon by the blades at the delivery end of the fan and having a final impulse imparted thereto, while being restrained against outward flow by the closed outer ends of the spaces between the respective pairs of blades, with the final result that for a fan having any given number of blades of any given length and swam width rotating at any given speed, the propulsion eflect is exceptionally high. Accordingly, in order to obtain a given propulsion effect the blades of the present fan may be relatively short. Therefore, by the use of fans of the present type in devices of the present type, such devices may be of relatively small size for any given installation.

According to the alternative fan construction shown in Fig. 5, the arrangement is the same as shown in Figs. 1 to 4 except that a second set of pairs of blades 25 duplicating a first set substantially as shown in Figs. 1 to 4. is provided and the blades of this second set are alternated with corresponding blades of the first set circumferentially of the fan, the innermost blades of each set being disposed midway between the blades of the i-other set longitudinally of the fan. In this case the operation is the same as in the case of the fan shown in Figs. 1 to 4, but due to the second set of pairs of blades the propulsion efiect of the fan is correspondingly increased.

From the foregoing description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings it is believed that the features and advantages of the invention willbe clearly understood. It is desired to point out, however, that while only certain specific embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, the same is readily capable of embodiment in specifically diflerentmechanical embodiments within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. An air supply device of the character described comprising a hollow casing open at its ends, means for mounting said casing in a wall opening, an air-distributing device comprising a plurality of mutually spaced hollow flaring members at the inner end of said casing, a fan within said casing for producing a flow of air therethrough, a hood at the air inlet end of said casing to be adjusted toward and from said end to regulate flow of air through the casing. and

a means extendingjrom said hood through the casing, and said air-distributing device to the" inner end of said casing for adjusting said hood.

2. An air supply device of the character described comprising a hollow casing open at its ends, means for mounting said casing in a wall opening, a motor within said casing having a hollow shaft, a fan within saidcaslng driven by said motor for producing a fiow of air through the casing, a hood at the inlet end of said casing to be adjusted toward and from said end to regu- 1 late fiow of air through the casing, and a rod extending from said hood through said motor shaft to the inner end of the casing for adjusting said hood.

3. An air supply device as set forth in claim 2, 1 including friction means cooperating with the rod to hold the latter and the hood in difierent adjusted positions.

4. An air supply device of the character described comprising a hollow casing open at its ends, means for mounting said casing in a wall opening, a motor within said casing having a hollow shaft, a fan within said casing driven by said motor for producing a fiow of air through ,the casing, an air distributing device at the air 9 outlet end of said casing, a hood at the inlet end of said casing to be" adjusted toward and from said end to regulate fiow of air through the casing, and a rod extending from said hood through said motor shaft and said air distributing device to the inner end of the latter for adjusting said hood.

5 An air supply device of the character described comprising a hollow casing open at its ends, means for mounting said casing in a wall opening, means for producing a flow of air through said casing, an air distributing device comprising a plurality of mutually spaced hollow flaring members and detachably connected with the inner end portion of said casing, andan air filtering element, held between the casing and said air distributing device being mounted in the'neck-portion of said air-distributing device.

FRANZ J. K'URTI-I. FREDRICH HONERKALCP. 4 

